The instant application should be granted the priority date of Feb. 19, 2008 the filing date of the corresponding International patent application PCT/EP2008/001267.
The invention relates to a method for controlling the extraction capacity of longwall operations performed in underground coal mining, both a single longwall operation and also in a linkage of multiple longwall operations performed in a connected mine structure.
In operations of underground coal mining, the problem exists in general of optimum exploitation of the installed extraction capacity of both individual longwall operations and also multiple longwall operations in sum. The air-technology and climate-technology resources to be supplied to an individual longwall operation for the optimum capacity development represent a limitation or restriction of the extraction capacity. These air-technology and climate-technology resources essentially comprise the influencing variables of the fresh air to be supplied to a longwall operation, the cooling capacity to be available from employed cooling systems, and the equipped gas exhaust, the above-mentioned influencing variables partially mutually influencing one another. Thus, the air speed cannot exceed values of 4 m/s in the longwall operations and 6 m/s in the roads, whereby the quantity of air to be conducted through is limited as a function of the particular available cross-sections. The rock temperature and the installed, preferably electrical power essentially determine the need for cooling capacity to be available in order to ensure a climate which is still physiologically acceptable for the operating personnel, and finally a limiting value of 1% or 1.5% of methane in the air flow is to be ensured, exceeding which causes automatic operating shutdowns. The methane concentration is in turn also a function of the quantity of air conducted through as a dilution factor and can further be influenced or controlled by the operation of a gas exhaust, whose effectiveness is also in turn a function of the configuration and the status of gas exhaust boreholes.
The invention is therefore based on the object of specifying a method of the type cited at the beginning, using which the most optimum possible exploitation of the extraction capacity of longwall operations of underground coal mining may be implemented.